I was stoked about my stay at Trailborn Rocky Mountains from the moment I pulled into the parking lot and found a cow elk lying in the shade, eating grass outside the hotel rooms. Estes Park is filled with stubbornly carefree elk, but this was a reminder that I was indeed in the mountains and among big wildlife.
Trailborn Rocky Mountains is a boutique hotel located right in the center of Estes Park, minutes from Rocky Mountain National Park. It caters to guests who plan to spend their days outside and offers curated experiences like sunrise hikes, guided fly fishing tours, and via ferrata trips. These trips usually include being shuttled to the destination so you don’t have to drive.
The hotel is 90 minutes from Denver, and I spent 3 days and 2 nights there. Like most visitors, exploring the National Park was the main purpose of my visit. I also spent plenty of time on the periphery of the park and the greenspaces along Estes Marina.
Trailborn provided not just a starting point for park visits but a convenient spot to drop off gear, rinse off, change clothes, and catnap between outings.
In short: Trailborn Rocky Mountains offers deluxe accommodations catered to the adventurous crowd with quick and convenient access to Rocky Mountain National Park and other outdoor highlights in the Estes Park area.
About Trailborn Rocky Mountains
The property was previously a rundown motel with guests who were — putting it kindly — not interested in visiting the parks. Trailborn transformed the entire facility with completely redone rooms and a lobby.
The 40 Trailborn rooms are spacious and designed to accommodate guests with bags of gear and plans to spend time outside. Your first steps inside a room are on a tiled floor, where you can take off dirty shoes or store a bike. Cork flooring lines the rest of the room.
Guests can choose from king rooms, double queen rooms, and bunk options for groups. A deluxe suite for families still wanting separate bedrooms is also available.
I stayed in a king room with a namesake-sized foam mattress bed and a small but efficient tiled bathroom. There was bench seating along the wall for working and even a cushioned seat in the angled front window. This was a nice spot to read or sip coffee while keeping an eye on the elk out front.
One slick decor detail was the mini-fridge inside a cabinet for a cleaner look that also reduced its hum. On trend with adventure hotels, you can borrow a Mountainsmith soft-sided cooler to hold ice for use in the room or to keep drinks and meals cool when you drive into the park. Other room amenities include Bluetooth radios and a lantern to help light the way to the communal fire pit at night.
Trailborn even offers wristband room keys for those who may lose track of a card key when swapping out pants or packs.
The sister property is Trailborn Rocky Mountains Outpost, just minutes away. It shares a similar aesthetic and offers the same experiences. Small differences include the lack of a café, so guests there get a complimentary breakfast or can purchase items from its market.
Shared Spaces
The hotel lobby has custom chairs and padded benches along the large window wall with views of surrounding peaks and down into the park across the street. It’s a great place to enjoy the natural light while reading (or laptopping). A half wall with a fireplace divides this area from the café/cantina space and the outside patio.
The back patio has ample seating, including a fire pit with complimentary s’mores in the evening. A couple of hammocks are also available past the patio for lounging under trees.
In front, there’s a small pool to sun and soak, somewhat offset down the hill from the hotel lobby and lot.
The hotel is located above the major road into town, which cuts down on the noise. That elevated perch means that even from the parking lot, you can get a view of the famous Stanley Hotel across the vista with the mountains as a backdrop.
Cafe/Casa Colina
If you just want to grab a drink or beer to sit outside, there’s a shop with a small cooler and snacks by the check-in desk. For proper meals, there’s the breakfast/dinner option in the lobby called Colina.
Cafe Colina runs in the morning with Huckleberry coffee and a limited menu that includes breakfast tacos. At night, it turns into Casa Colina, which has a larger menu of mostly modern Mexican food with a full bar that includes frozen margaritas and nonalcoholic drinks. There is no lunch service because you’re supposed to be out and about.
Where to Go
The Main Draw
Rocky Mountain National Park is a surprisingly short drive from Trailborn. On my visit, it took just 10 minutes.
RMNP requires timed entry permits from late May through late October. In my experience, these permits mean shorter lines at the main entrances than years prior, but you have to schedule your day(s) accordingly. I had an afternoon pass one day and a morning pass the next.
The first day I spent in the Bear Lake region, which requires an additional timed entry, where I hiked some of the short but steep trails leading to alpine lakes before leaving the park to explore more.
Like many national parks, you can spend a lot of time driving during a visit. My second day was a broader visit, with a drive up Trail Ridge Road to explore the highest parts of the park for the views of the surrounding landscape and bull elk. A stop at the visitor center there calls for a literally breathtaking ascent of the Alpine Ridge Trail stairs.
I spent the remainder of that afternoon exploring new areas I hadn’t seen before, including a short walk into the woods from a roadside pullout that lulled me with the sounds of running water, birdsong, and the occasional broken branch of a moose eating under a nearby tree.
Park Side Trips
Lily Lake is another short drive from Trailborn and in the opposite direction of the RMNP’s main entrance. Visits technically require a timed entry, but the size of the parking lot seems to adequately restrict crowds. There’s a short (0.8-mile) trail around the lake, which makes for a nice sunset stroll and connects to longer trails.
Across the street from Lily Lake is a trailhead to Twin Sisters, one of the park’s more scenic and popular hikes. You don’t need to go all the way to the top to enjoy spectacular views. The hike has 2,338 feet of gain, with sections of the trail that are rocky and exposed.
The summit is also prone to fast-changing weather just about year-round, with little cover from wind and weather. Come winter, avalanches are a risk, and it’s not recommended for the inexperienced.
Estes Park Destinations
Beyond visits to Rocky Mountain National Park, the surrounding area offers more than a full weekend’s worth of entertainment.
Estes Park is a tourist town, so there are plenty of entertainment options, like race carts, batting cages, adventure parks, and canned fishing for families. Fun City and Open Air Adventure Park are worth looking into to change up the pace of a trip with some midday fun.
Lake Estes
From the hotel, you can cross the main road into town toward Estes Powerplant and several greenspaces devoted to a nine-hole golf course, a petite bird sanctuary, and trails for walking and biking down toward the marina.
Here, the Big Thompson River flows into Lake Estes, and its banks are a great place to cast for rainbow trout, brown trout, and more. The lake is stocked, so you could even hook a kokanee salmon from a boat in the reservoir.
These waters are a major draw for any water-based recreation in the area that offers all types of boating rentals. To the south of the lake are bike parks and skate parks, as well as recreational baseball fields with astounding views of the lakes and mountains.
When to Go
If you are traveling to see Rocky Mountain National Park, the best times to visit are also the busiest, which is why the timed entry system is in place. In short, there’s a peak in late June to August when snow has melted off the highest roads and trails (and schools are closed). Then there’s a peak in late September through October when the temperatures have cooled, the elk are in rut, and the aspens are turning gold.
Estes Park is less bustling in the fall, which can make getting around town easier. Still, if you’re into excursions by foot, I’d recommend long walks from the hotel.
Of course, visiting the park in the winter is far less crowded and just as beautiful. These are also times when a hotel stay has greater appeal.
An Approach
For first-time visits to the park, I’d recommend a drive-and-hike approach. You can spend a long day just hitting the highlights. The next day, you could dive into a favorite or new activity, like one of the curated experiences offered by Trailborn, and then unwind in town or on the back patio.
With a hotel stay, you should wake up rested, well-fed, and clean to start each day with some set plans. Allow yourself time to pull over and soak in unplanned sights, and then actually do just that. And if you find yourself running low on time, remember that you don’t need to set up a tent or stove once you’re back at the hotel.
